Compared to Sherun, Balga Capital City was somewhat low in density for an urban area. Perhaps this was because the city had been built on a vast coastal plain. It was built on an open plan, lined with many historical buildings.
About six miles east of the capital’s center, there stood an old, stately mansion with a sweeping view of the city. In one of its rooms, Tsushima and Lupus were being held prisoner.
After they had disembarked, Finé had let the old man go without harming him but, naturally, escorted Lupus and Tsushima to the mansion. They hadn’t heard anything from their captors since.
Tsushima turned from the window he had been staring out of to ease his boredom and looked at the room.
Lupus was sitting in a large armchair before the lit fireplace, hugging her knees. She had been crying nonstop ever since being brought here, and the skin around her eyes was red and raw.
Defeated by the gloomy atmosphere, Tsushima finally lost his patience and took out a cigarette. As the flames of his lighter touched the tip of the cigarette, his gaze met Lupus’s for the first time in a while. She narrowed her puffy and exhausted eyes even more.
“You’re that much of an addict, huh?” she murmured.
Her words dropped into the spacious room and weighed heavily on Tsushima’s shoulders. He quietly exhaled tasteless smoke.
“Keep your snark to yourself. It would have been almost impossible for us to escape that situation. Besides, Finé’s goal wasn’t to take your life. Knowing that, I chose the option with the highest probability of survival.”
“I wasn’t being snarky. And I’m not blaming you, either, Tsushima. But I just don’t know how to deal with these feelings,” Lupus said with her face buried in her knees, the end of her sentence once again wavering.
However, Tsushima couldn’t afford to feel disheartened in the same way. He went over the information they had in order to figure out his next move.
“Finé mentioned something about ‘her master,’ right? Who does she serve?” Tsushima asked.
Lupus raised her head slightly, tears still in her eyes.
“The leader of the Six Imperial Swords is the emperor, but the person she referred to as ‘master’ is the man who appointed her as his knight—the first prince.”
“The first prince. So that would be Causa Insania?” Tsushima muttered the name with a sour face.
Causa Insania, eldest son of the emperor of the Balga Empire and first in line to the imperial throne, was known as one of the world’s leading strategists. Even Tachibana, mayor of Elbar and an accomplished strategist himself, had said Causa was a formidable foe.
Tsushima had never imagined that the Second Prince would be involved at this point, much less the First Prince. He furrowed his brow, finding the situation increasingly suspicious.
“Why would he interfere with your defection?”
“I don’t know. But he only ever shows interest in things that benefit him. That’s all there is to it.”
“So you fleeing Balga is advantageous for him in some way?”
“Who knows? I have no idea what that man considers beneficial. But there’s definitely something,” she replied, directing her gaze at the door of the room. She sensed someone approaching.
As soon as Lupus raised her head, the thick door opened without so much as a knock, the hinges creaking. There stood Finé, skin so pale she looked like she was faintly glowing.
She glanced at the room and, in a monotone, delivered her message concisely.
“Both of you, follow me.”
Tsushima exhaled another lungful of smoke and stubbed out his barely used cigarette on the window frame.
“So where are you taking us?” Tsushima asked lightheartedly. Finé cast a brief glance at him but didn’t answer.
Tsushima moved his heavy legs with reluctance.
“Not gonna answer? All right, then. Let’s go.”
Lupus weakly stood at Tsushima’s insistence.
The two of them followed Finé as she led them through the mansion. They went down an extremely wide corridor, climbed some stairs, and were guided to a certain room.
The chamber was simple and sparsely decorated, lined with rows of bookcases crammed with countless volumes.
In the center of the room were two sofas facing each other across a coffee table. A man sat on one of them.
He had beautiful, slicked-back golden hair, and his bright-red eyes were as piercing as a snake’s. The white military uniform he had on, crafted from what appeared to be high-quality fabric, was refined in design and free of unnecessary embellishment. His face had a subtle air of confidence, and the charisma he exuded made his presence feel even larger.
Tsushima knew from just a glance this was Causa Insania. There was a clearly visible difference in class.
A moment passed, and then Causa lifted his head as if he had just noticed he had visitors. After taking a long, careful look at Tsushima, he smiled at Lupus behind Tsushima’s back.
“Hey, little sis. Long time no see.”
“It’s been a long time, Causa.”
“I apologize for bringing you here in such an abrupt manner. Please, take a seat.” Causa gestured toward the chair in front of him, showing zero signs of hostility.
However, Lupus hesitated for a moment. She glanced up at Tsushima standing behind her, seeking an answer from him.
“Don’t worry. I’m here with you.” Tsushima kept an intimidating eye on Causa as he placed a hand on Lupus’s shoulder. She still looked uneasy, but she slowly lowered herself onto the sofa.
Tsushima stood behind her, while Finé positioned herself behind Causa as if to counter this.
It was finally starting, Tsushima sensed, bracing himself again. Causa, who had been observing their interaction, slowly got the ball rolling.
“I’ve heard quite a bit about this matter through the grapevine. It seems you’ve completely fallen for Ross Ruber’s scheme, haven’t you, Lupus?”
At Causa’s question, Lupus turned her face away, looking somewhat ashamed.
“I have nothing to blame but my own foolishness.”
“That may be true, but thanks to your capable bodyguard, you’ve survived. I’m glad you’re safe,” Causa said, his gaze naturally shifting to Tsushima as he spoke. “However, if you had landed at Middle Sea as you were about to, you likely wouldn’t have gotten away unscathed. The Fourth Division was already stationed there along with Canus Miles of the Six Imperial Swords. And there’s no denying even Tsushima Rindou lacks the strength to handle both at once, right?”
Causa raised an eyebrow slightly as he casually invoked Tsushima. His demeanor implied he had researched him thoroughly beforehand.
Tsushima tilted his head slightly, maintaining a stern expression.
“So, in other words, you’re saying you saved us?” he asked.
Causa responded cheerfully to Tsushima’s arrogant attitude.
“You could interpret it that way, but it depends on your answer going forward.” Causa moved his hand, which he’d been resting his chin on, and clasped them back together. His tone became slightly forceful. “A member of the imperial family fleeing the country amounts to nothing less than treason. I could have you both arrested right here and now and dragged in front of the emperor.”
“But you’re not doing that. You must have a reason, right?” Tsushima asked, pressing the prince for answers.
Causa let a well-timed silence hang in the air, as if to deliberately irritate Tsushima and keep him in suspense. Then he responded with a tone that could be interpreted as provocative.
“Why are you in such a hurry? Please calm down, Tsushima Rindou.”
Even Tsushima couldn’t hide his irritation at that remark. His eyelid twitched, and he let his anger show on his face.
Feeling like this was going in a dangerous direction, Lupus stepped between the two of them to intervene.
“From the tone of your words, Big Brother Causa, it sounds like you are quite informed on this matter. What is the extent of your involvement?” she asked Causa directly, looking as fragile as glassware. It seemed he hadn’t expected her to interrupt the conversation at that point.